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User blog:FireDrag1091/Unshattered Resolve II
The Twilight Gap The Last Safe City, Earth 12th of June, 2794 There was the call of the eagles that echoed throughout the mountain range. A soft but gentle wind that brushed this majestic call across the branches of the tall standing pine trees. In the distance, there was the faint sound of a waterfall. And underfoot, there was the soft and precious soil along the carefully placed paths. An assortment of footprints scattered the soil and left gentle signs of life that had walked among beauty and peace. There was a flat path, supported by several hand-shaped stones and freshly cut logs that formed itself in the shape of a perfect circle. Several people stood among the edges, watching as the two stood in the centre. Rapid foot movements in the centre scattered the soft and delicate soil. The two beings grappled with each other in the centre, their jabbed arms twisted and turned as they attempted to seize a better hold of the other. Avgust's amateur movements did not coordinate well with the new assault that his opponent had taken. The larger and more skillful giant sized over him, the two horns mounted on the side of his white and orange helmet standing as obvious reminders of the Titan's accomplishment and prowess. Within a sharp and sudden movement, Avgust's arm twisted out of the hold he had on his opponent. Within an instant, Avgust felt the sensation of being lifted off the ground despite his heavy and imposing platasteel-plated armour. Within an instant, the Titan was slammed into the soft soil ground as he tried desperately to yank his arm free of the hold his opponent had on him. But it was to no avail, as the opposing Titan held on and threw a powerful punch that shattered Avgust's ribs. The Titan cried in pain, as his opponent let him go and watched as Avgust writhed in pain for but a moment. There was silence throughout the valley, as Avgust attempted desperately to get back on his knees and then to his legs. He ignored the pain; in fact he could not admit pain. Not to his mentors, not to his colleagues. "Stay on your knees, Titan." Avgust turned his head immediately back to the gold and silver-armoured Titan that stood as head over the group along the mountainside. The slight breeze moved the Titan's heavy wolf fur cape for but a moment, before it settled, and he stepped forward. "Take a moment to breathe. Take control of yourself. And then, feel your wounds. And most importantly: admit that they are real." Avgust blinked twice, as he drew in a deep breath and waited. He felt the pain surge through his body as his mentor moved in to stand over him. The Titan spoke again: "That? That is pain. And centuries ago, that is exactly what our people felt. They were forced to their knees, pained and alone. Where once they anointed their heads with pride and glory, the ashes soiled their faces instead. That glory, that honour? Was stolen by the Pain. For centuries they toiled in the Dark. Searching for pity, for hope. "But they had to admit then, that if they rose to their feet rashly and tried to strike back, they would have driven themselves to extinction. And if they gave in, continued to lay in the ruins of their happiness? Then they would wither and shrink into nothing." The Titan nodded his head and stayed on his knees as he felt the pain of his wounds recede and fade into mere sores through the assistance of the Light. He noted Svarog float over his shoulder, the presence of hope and comfort. Saladin nodded his head in confirmation, offering a but a brief smile to Avgust. The Titan turned his head back up to the white and orange-coloured armoured Guardian who swiftly moved his massive arm and stretched his hand to offer to Avgust. Avgust reached up and accepted the hand that was offered to him. He took in another breath, as he nodded his head to his opponent who offered him another opportunity before he turned his head toward Lord Saladin. The Iron Lord smiled but briefly, "So breath… and gather yourself before you take your first step. Control that which seeks to control you and forge it in your Light. "And rise." ---- City North The Last Safe City, Earth 6th of September, 3217 Four hours following the activation of the Cage… Desperate hands wrestled with the rubble and the wet sand underneath its fingers, as the shore spit up water and blood. The faint sound of a fire crackling in the background, and the choking smell of burning wood and gravel. The arms trembled as the figure struggled to bring itself to its knees, as it wept. Pain ruptured through its chest, as any attempt to draw in fresh breath brought nothing but the scratching sensation of sand and smoke. And it wept. Fingers clenched together as it cried. The entire body trembled, as sorrow and fear dashed through the mind of the Titan. For one of the first times throughout his entire existence, he felt genuine pain. Genuine fear. The Titan struck the soil washed with blood and drew in deep and stifled breaths. Fear flared from cold to hot, Immediate anger replaced, before he struggled to overcome his anger. Avgust pulled in slow and painful breaths, taking a few seconds between each breath as the scratching and burning sensation of each pull of the smoke-filled air. The tremble that had filled his body slowed, as each breath become easier and easier. The tears of fear that brimmed at his eyes faded, as the internal heat of his anger cooled. The Titan sat there on his knees and looked ahead to the fire that rummaged among the trees. Avgust watched as the flames danced, a cascade of bright orange to tempering red. The Titan struggled to form any words as he continued to flush the violent emotions that had seized him. Avgust had done this several times during the five-hundred years he had been a Guardian. But what if he had given in to the emotion? What difference would it make? No, Avgust commanded himself, not now. There is no time now. There never was time. The Titan drew in one last breath before he raised himself to his feet, as pain surged through his body and a cold wash ran underneath the Titan bodyglove he wore. It had been evident that there was water trapped in the vacuum sealed suit: likely a breach in the material. The Titan analysed his figure as he rested his shoulders and sore fingers: undoubtedly due to being lashed around in the torrent of water. Then Avgust noticed it: the casing of his Vanguard breastplate had been broken by a round of unknown calibre, and his right shoulder pauldron had been ripped off. The thighplate that had covered his right leg was now missing along with the sidearm holster that had been attached. Now the missing plates exposed the servo-joint wires and broken supplies, that had covered the damaged Golden Age bodyglove that he attached the Titan armour. The Titan blinked as he clenched his fists. "Avgust…" The Titan turned his head toward the Ghost he had just hoped was there. Svarog stared back. Avgust immediately knew that something had troubled Svarog, as he replied with a bit of a cough: "How far off target are we?" Avgust chastised himself, That is your first priority? "We are currently 4.7 kilometres off target." Svarog responded, "But… no, Avgust we can't take any more risk. I shouldn't have... " Avgust stood by silently. He spoke slowly, an attempt to divert the conversation: "What am I looking at—" "We're going to be taking another way around—" "We do not have time." Avgust replied calmly, "Either it is through here, or we are not going to be reaching—" "Through that forest is nothing more that Cabal kill teams! I am not going to let you throw yourself at certain death!" Silence trickled. The Titan simply stared at the Ghost, as he slowly stepped up to Svarog. The Ghost's features shifted, as he showed his complete unwillingness to step away from his position. Avgust knew that look, however: "Svarog, have you heard anything from that Guardian since last communication?" "Lieutenant…" Svarog paused, and collected himself: "I haven't heard anything for the past three hours…" Avgust stood still, as the Ghost started to float towards the Titan. Svarog glanced around, as if he was searching for something before, he returned his singular eye toward Avgust: "Nothing…" The Titan sighed as he stepped closer towards the flame as he smelled much more clearly the thick scent of the burn and felt the slightly more the flames lap at his cold skin. Avgust turned his head back toward Svarog, and replied: "Svarog, if we take any longer…" "Avgust…" Svarog responded, as he lowered his tone. Seconds passed before the Ghost spoke once more: "You understand as well as I do…" "Yes. I do." Avgust responded, as he swallowed his fears and offered nothing more than shaken determination: "I understand as much as you do… but if we do not move through that forest…" "Avgust, what does that mean if you die before you even get there?" Avgust drew in a deep breath as he stared at the path he dared to cross ahead. No, he knew that Svarog was right. Several times he threw himself at threats that meant death. But certain, irreversible death? Yes. The Twilight Gap claimed the lives of thousands of Guardians. The Great Disaster saw the causality of nearly everyone underneath his command. But Fireteam Argus? "It means the attempt was made. It means that the those kill teams may be distracted from any other Fireteam. Any other Guardian." Avgust responded, "If you feel safer walking around, Svarog I will not question it. But if we have not heard anything from that Guardian for the past three hours, no risk is too great at this point." The Ghost blinked, as his upper 'crown' lowered into an expression Avgust could only explain as a frown. The Titan knew, because he saw that look from nigh a hundred times. He spoke once more: "Your decision." Svarog sighed, before he pointed his eye back toward Avgust. The Ghost eventually remarked: "Avgust… okay. I'll try to trace the teams positions. If you keep low and keep fast, then we should be fine. But if that fuel hits you Avgust…" "Understood." Avgust paused, as he tested his servo joints. The lights of his suit flicked from an orange light to a low and weak blue. He shook his head, before he turned his gaze back toward Svarog: "And Svarog?" The Ghost blinked. "I..." The Titan finally said, before he reached behind his back. His fingers wrapped around the handle of the Thunderlord, as the magnetic locks that cradled the weapon released. He lifted the machine gun over his head and back down into carry, as he considered what he could possibly say. "I need your help," the Titan responded awkwardly, "can you keep track of the Cabal?" "I will need to monitor my taps." Svarog replied, "If I stay on their network too long, they might notice that we are not Cabal." "Thank you, Svarog." Avgust looked through the blaze one last time, as he lowered himself into a low squat as he prepared himself for the run. He had run five kilometres several hundred times before in his plasteel-plated armour, but through a burning forest? The Titan grunted; he had been through worse. Tapping his fingers along the Thunderlord, he started with his run. The servo joints of his armour whirred and cried under the new level of stress, before the sixty-kilogram armour moved into motion. The heavy footsteps crushed the twigs and the leaves and eventually reached the ash, as the cold of the water eventually evaporated into a blistering steam. The cracking heat, like a whip echoed through his ears. He continued to sprint. He listened to his heart beat faster and faster, echoing like the steady staccato of gunfire… and eventually, the high-pitched squeal of Cabal stood in his ear. Avgust did not stop running. The Titan vaulted over a collapsed tree which cracked with flame, and landed on the loose soil and ash which scattered and flew before he threw himself through a small group of trees which broke immediately from the force as ambers singed his skin. He continued his run, as Svarog spoke with a whisper over the flame: "One kilometre, and the Cabal noticed movements. They are trying to prepare a response." "Time?" Avgust panted, as he rolled off the trail and headed through the new clearing formed by the flames. "What ti—" The squeal. That squeal. The click of slug shotgun as it prepared to fire. Avgust rolled his body in the direction of the noises that should have not been there, as he raised his Thunderlord into the firing position as instinctively pulled the trigger. The machine gun wailed in some sort of pain, as it began to discharge the silver projectiles that flickered occasionally with arc-energy. The volley of bullets slammed into the breastplate of the Cabal Legionary, cracking through the black and red paint as the alien shrieked in pain and flailed. The black oil of the Cabal spat out like simulant blood, as the alien toppled backwards into its allies. "Avgust!" Svarog cried, as Avgust continued to fire the Thunderlord at the remaining three Legionaries, who managed to gather their nerve and fire at the Titan. Evading to the left and finding cover from behind the rock found, as the arc-powered slugs of the Cabal's shotguns. Avgust breathed out as he yanked a free grenade from off his utility belt, praying silently that the weapon had not been neutralised by the water as he primed the explosive. "Clustered?" He asked, watching hesitantly the red light that flared on. "They are attempting to flank: two right, one left." Avgust nodded his head, before he rolled his massive shoulder and hurled the grenade with the spoon pulled towards his right. The metal dinged across the hot stones, as the immediate squeal of alarm from two Cabal signalled at least obvious concern. An explosion that rocked not even ten metres away from him that sent a slug shotgun sailing over his head. He breathed in. How many times he has done this, he could not count anymore. Rolling over to the left, he aimed his Thunderlord at the sole Red Legion soldier… but the beast had just been immediately in front of him. Avgust attempted to ram the machinegun into the Cabal's throat but gained no ground as the creature merely grabbed the weapon with its grubby fingers and attempted to wrestle it from the Titan's hands with a strong pull. Avgust frowned, as he pulled the trigger as the weapon fired randomly into the shoulder of the Legionary before the recoil and the pull of the Cabal managed to actually wrestle the weapon out of his hands as it let out a roar in pain as it stumbled back. Avgust pressed the advantage before he rammed himself into the Legionary, his shoulder breaking into the stomach as its pressure suit split as air broke through much to the surprise of the Titan. He pressed on, slamming his knee now into the breach before securing his large arms around the neck of the Cabal. The Red Legion soldier recoiled and attempted to retaliate against Avgust. Avgust launched his body forward, bringing the Cabal on the ground as he twisted its neck. Within a second, the cracking of the bones of the creature ringed through Avgust's ear as the resistance of the Cabal ceased. Stepping off the body of the Red Legion soldier, the Titan whisked over and pried the Thunderlord from the dead creatures grasp as he breathed out a command: "Get us moving!" "The biosignals from those Cabal we just killed were the first in over four hours, and it's got a lot of attention—" Svarog responded. "Stay focused!" "I'm trying! We have a few drops and bridges; I am trying to match our movements—" A sudden light flashed overhead, a bright single beam of light that surrounded Avgust as immediately two other spotlights concentrated directly over his position. Immediately the Titan took off, dodging under the burning branches of trees as slug projectiles traced after him with explosive results from behind. The servo joints of his armour whined louder and louder, almost as loud as the beat of his heart. "Found something!" Svarog shouted over the explosions, as Avgust nearly breathed out to tell the Ghost to just continue, "There is a hole at Avas!" "How far?" "Half a kilo!" The Cabal gun repositioned and instead fired in front of Avgust's position, as the Titan hurled himself to the right in order to avoid the fire that erupted from the explosion as he continued to sprint forward. He turned his body to his right as he continued to run forward, lifting his Thunderlord towards the three-headed spotlight that had targeted him. Taking a single pull of the trigger, two bullets from the machine gun splashed against the side of the gunship that was chasing him. Avgust grunted, as he continued to sprint forward toward the place that Svarog had designated. He needed to find a way to distract that gunship, as it could continually track his movements it was becoming a very dawning reality that even if they made it to Avas that the Cabal could continue to track his movements. The Cabal kill teams that were hunting Guardians could just meet him at the other end of the hole. "Can you scramble the gunship?" Avgust yelled over a nearby explosion, almost a demand instead of a question. "The network is buzzing," Svarog replied frankly, "I think they figured out—" An idea began to form. "Perhaps that is a good thing." Avgust muttered, as he slid underneath a broken branch before he launched back to his feet. The thicket of trees began to prove that the burn the Red Legion started had not completely engulfed the forest. The smoke began to fade, as Avgust completed his thought: "Ping our location, loudly." "What—" Svarog started. "The trees will provide cover enough," Avgust interrupted, "scatter your pings as far as you can!" Svarog sat in silence, as the spotlights from the gunship frantically attempted to search for the Guardian through the thickening foliage. The Cabal that piloted the gun still attempted to strike at Avgust with the gunship's turret. There was no doubt in Avgust's mind, that the Cabal were calling on the kill teams now to assault the position that he had last maintained, but now that he was a slight invisible? Svarog caught on to what Avgust wanted, "I am tossing our signals in realistic positions… in seventeen different ways!" The lights of the gunship faded, as it chased along another position headed eastward. The Titan continued to sprint towards the Avos, as he prayed only that his ruse was going to work. He breathed out between growing and tiring breathes a sigh of relief, as he spoke: "Are the Cabal following us with different units?" "I can't tell," Svarog responded, "the Cabal are running on different channels now." Avgust stared ahead, as the trees began to clear into some water treatment facility. His sprint slowed to a jog as he cautiously lifted his machine gun into firing position as he reached the coasts of the forest into the water treatment plant. He scanned the burning horizon, the sight of City North and its airfield. The clearing was in the shape of an oval, and on the other side was the rest of Nagyérdő followed by the industrial city. It seemed almost too peaceful, a surprise to Avgust. He figured that the Cabal had just completely bombarded and burnt every part of the City, but it appeared the water treatment plant was untouched. Had they just targeted the areas where City inhabitants lived? "So, you are hearing nothing, then…" Avgust sighed, "keep eyes, then." Avgust slowly walked into the clearing towards the untouched sanitation facility, as he darted his eyes around the facility. There were a series of six silos that had likely contained just water, attached to several pipes and two single-floor buildings. It appeared gray, with touches of yellow and blue. Nothing more. Far too peaceful. "Is this Avas?" Avgust asked. "Yes," Svarog responded, "According to the schematics, there is a single maintenance tunnel that connects City North and South." "Why did you not mention this before?" "Guardian COMMs had stated the Cabal has claimed this area to all City Emergency Broadcasts…" Svarog paused, "I just trusted that." "Water does not catch fire easy." "Perhaps some Guardian was intentionally misleading the public. Svarog responded, "After all, the Cabal captured the emergency broadcasts. The Titan sighed, he figured that one would just cross reference the Cabal battlenet and the emergency broadcast… but he knew the Cabal had a bad habit of just imagining that distress on the part of their enemies means they are successful. A lot of memories to the Rubicon Front at Meridian Bay, when the Guardians would signify falsely on local networks to pretend they were in distress and careless Centurions charged in with their teams to waiting Guardians. Whether or not it was stupidity or hubris, it was uncertain. Avgust continued to walk at an alerted pace as he continued to scan the horizon, as he continued toward the facility. He closed into the near two-hundred metre range of the facility, as he muttered: "So something changed your mind, then." "I figured that even if the Cabal has burnt it, there would still be a mode to escape through those tunnels." He reached within one hundred metres as he eventually came to a halt to analyse the facility momentarily. There was not even a scratch within its features, as he begun to approach slowly forward once more. Avgust quickly glanced over his shoulder as he aimed his Thunderlord for firing once more, before he noticed the silhouettes of three Cabal gunships floating lazily toward his position. Avgust turned immediately on a heel as he started a sprint to the facility, "Schematics?!" "The City networks are not responding anymore!" Svarog cried out in surprise. He headed to the first building he saw, vaulting over the series of yellow and blue pipes and turning around the shape of one of the silos as he spotted a singular green aluminum door. He threw himself into the door to crash through the entrance, as it knocked off its hinges and fell to the ground with a low thud. Nothing but service desks, and a few loose pipes and tubes. His eyes quickly fell on a metal grate that was bolted into the floor. Avgust swung the Thunderlord over the magnetic locks on his back, as the sound of the gunships coming within proximity was undeniably close. His fingers locked between joins in the grate, as he tore with a strength only known to Titans. Explosions and cracking fires echoed as the heavy metal grate lifted off the concrete it was bolted to. Windows shattered and the world became nigh unbearably hot. Avgust tossed away the grating, as he tried to lift and throw himself into the pipe system before an explosion rocked from behind him and shoved him into the hole as his leg caught the ledge and twisted as he tumbled head-first into the pipe below. He struck the cold and wet accessway floor as he felt his arm cripple underneath him. The heat breathed above, as the Titan laid perfectly still. Avgust breathed a few breaths of adrenaline that he still had, as the pain from his leg and his arm surged to reality again. The star-shape of Svarog materialised over him, as the Ghost analysed his injuries. Avgust sat patiently, as he struggled to press himself up into a sit. He held his now-broken gauntlet in his left, still-moving hand, as Svarog sparked with light momentarily. "They must have confirmed you dead three times by now..." Svarog breathed as he poured Light over the body of the Titan, as Avgust stood upright on sore leg and flexed sore arm. Avgust tore off the broken gauntlet that had protected his right arm as he let the armour piece fall to the cold metal floor. Pulling off the shape of the Thunderlord from off the magnetic locks on his back, Avgust examined the weapon… he noticed now the heated metal contorted a bit as a result from what had just happened only moments before. The blue paint had completely faded and chipped from off the face of the weapon that had been burnt by the explosives. Avgust held back a curse, before he turned his head in direction of the pipes that lead to City North. His eyes fell back down on the weapon in his hands, seeing now some new extent of damage. Several electrical conductors had been scratched and in case of one of the transistors destroyed. The Titan thus deactivated the electrical Arc capacity of the Thunderlord, before he took his first steps down the path that led to City North. ---- Aboard a Cabal Carrier In orbit around Ganymede, Satellite of Jupiter "They call it Ganymede." A holographic sphere, coloured as the orange of a flame flickered its low and cunning light across the darkness. Within the dark and cool chamber, the light battled so brilliantly against the dark. It was as if it was the ongoing war. One extreme against the other. Two contrasts placed within the definite shape, trapped and contained within existence itself. This war would continue… it always continued. Either the light exterminates, or the dark overcomes. But there could be no absolute, as there never was before. Even in the light, the shadow was cast. Even in the darkest of places, the pin of light always remained. War was nature. It is life. One either chooses to stand atop the hill conquer, or to be tossed as a corpse to the bottom of the deepest pit. There was no compromise. "Ganymede…" A voice responded. Upon a low sat throne set atop a single step up from the main court floor, the voice curled his massive fingers together into a strangling fist before he separated them again and spanned the digits into individuals. "Interesting names, these creatures do give simple planetoids." "Indeed, my Primus." The first voice nodded. The eyes of the throne sitter looked down at the shape of the who spoke. He noted the several the warrior who stood before him on the court floor, holding a large Slug Shotgun within its grasp. This was a divergent theory from typical relations between superior and inferior, the Primus found. They inferred the presence of a weapon in their Courts was a sign of hostility. But to the Primus, it was welcomed. Because it was war. And war was nature. It was life. "But it is what we found to be the most suitable for our operation." A third voice joined, sat upon its own throne on the step lower than the Primus'. A member of his Court, his High Command. Its feeble shape, but ornate headdress marked it as one of the Primus' trusted Psion Commanders, an excellent engineer and tactician: an Immuni. "Rich in the architecture of the Praecessors." "Indeed." The Slug Shotgun-wielding Cabal remarked, "The information captured by the Legions stationed on the planets named: 'Mars,' and 'Mercury,' has shown to be rather resourceful regarding our design. We can find no better opportunity in this system, other than this planetoid." "If indeed the Dominus believes we should start here..." The Primus smoothed, "how soon can we start our construction?" "My Primus." The Cabal dutifully replied, "We estimate that as this planet is silent with Praecessor activity, and the Defensor resistance being eradicated faster than what was previously calculated…" Yes… the Defensors. The Primus' mind drifted for but a while as he considered the threat these creatures had posed to the Cabal Legions. He had indeed read the reports, time and time again. The abilities these mock warriors called upon, this so-called 'Light' that they wielded with ferocity. The bloody 'Rubicon Front,' as the Cabal traitors had called it. While indeed these soldiers had been capable and fair fighters, they at times found humiliating defeat at the claws of these 'Defensors.' These creatures who called themselves 'Guardians.' The Primus took what the Cabal had said as a sign that the Dominus' assault on the refuge these Defensors had called 'The City,' had indeed went well. A success. A plan of particular cunning, the Primus knew. The Dominus was always swift to crush that which attempted to crawl to the top of the hill, and rightfully threw their broken husk back down into the deepest pit. His plan to capture this 'Light' had confused the majority of the Cabal within the Red Legion, but the Primus understood it thoroughly. Such power in the hands of the Red Legion? Even the Primus awed at the possibilities. It was theirs for the taking. And so, the Dominus had taken. And now these Defensors would be left to the Black, that snapped its vicious teeth at those who lied crippled in the bottom of the deepest pit. And the Cabal, would stand victorious atop the hill. "Indeed, this planet could be prepared for full-scale conversion of our purposes within the next two days. And afterwards, we can see full completion within the weeks end." The Cabal finished. "Excellent. Prepare the Intercedent. We will begin the conversion immediately. This planetoid will become the Throne for the new Empire that our Dominus shall establish. And we shall be the ones to oversee its construction. Dutifully." The Primus announced, as he rested his massive hands upon the rests of his seat. "And as for the remaining Defensors?" The Cabal asked, "What shall we do?" The Primus moved his lips underneath his helmet and rebreather, as the cleft-lip curved into what would resemble a Cabal smile. He muttered quietly: "Bring them to the Court. I shall see them personally." Category:Blog posts